A Sunny Winter Afternoon Soaked In Colors Of Dilli Haat

11:26 PM
Naina Madan
1 Comments

A Delhi winter afternoon when sun is shining brightly and it is a weekend when you do not want to get out of your pajamas, it was supposed to be just that kind of a weekend. Add rajma chawal, binge watching of Homeland and it looked just perfect.

However, a bunch of friends had been making a mammoth task of bringing us all together and that day happened to be the one when all of us were available.

After debating, discussing, dissing and suggesting many a options till that very morning, we zeroed in on Dilli Haat at INA simply because it was a bright, sunny day! Well, do we need any more motivation than bright dhoop on a cold January afternoon?

It was my second visit to Dilli Haat, the first being 6 years ago! So, naturally I was pretty kicked about it. But my sole objective was to dip into fruit beer and momos. That’s what winters are about, no?

So, momos and fruit beer did happen but what was so interesting was the riot of colors splashed all across the haat, from pottery to flowers to rugs, from sarees to dupattas to jewellery. The warm, bright colors could captivate even the most dull souls, I reckon.

Color soaked vases

Look like Radha Krishna to me

Colors of India - I

Colors of India - II

A visit to Dilli Haat is a must if you love art, nature, handicrafts, handmade pieces, intricate work and rustic environment. That stuff from all over the country can be found under one roof is well known but that stuff is so unique and cool that you would have to try hard to not shop all that your heart desires. The love of labour that goes in to each piece will make you realize the worth it is pegged at.

Pen stands, fridge magnets, coasters and more

For the shoeholicks

For a trip down olden golden times

This weekend also happened to be the one when Delhi Literature Festival was on here. In the fag end of the evening, we caught up a rather animated session with an eclectic panel of speakers. Taslima Nasreen, Sudheendra Kulkarni, Mani Shankar Aiyar and Somnath Bharti were exchanging mics, taking questions from an intelligent crowd. Intolerant India was the dominant theme of the session.

Easily accessible via Delhi Metro, you get down at INA metro station which is just 2 minutes away. An entry ticket of Rs. 20 is the most nominal and opens up a colorful kaleidoscope in front of you once you enter.

Believe me, winter is the best time to enjoy this place to the fullest without feeling the need to grab a water bottle every 5 minutes or gasping for shade every 15. You can walk, explore, eat at each state food stall (well, we tend to eat more in winter, right?) all the while soaking your eyes in the colorful wares and packing your shopping bags.

And the pretty fairylights were already up at the main gate by the time we decided to wrap up the day. What a day!